Games of 2008Now that 2008 is over, we can see quite clearly that the PlayStation 3 has a much stronger and more impressive library -- especially compared to last year. Let's take a look at the top ten highest rated games of 2008.

Not much more can be written about MGS4 than you've likely seen a million times. It is undoubtedly one of the best games of the year, and in many folks' opinions, one of the best games ever made. Nay, crafted. Kojima Productions put such care and passion into the title that it seeps out of the screen and into your veins. Taking Snake through his latest (and supposedly) last adventure was as gut-wrenching as it was nerve wracking and exciting. It's only the second game we've given a 10 to since Ocarina of Time, and for very good reason.

Games don't get much bigger than a Grand Theft Auto title, and the fourth installment absolutely blew us out of the water. Everything seemed incredibly cohesive, from the way Niko interacted with the world through its physics-based controls to the pedestrians and passersby on the streets. The story was great, and the voice acting phenomenal. No open world city has ever been more engaging and alive than this take on Liberty City, which wound up being as important a character as Niko himself. This is the new high-water mark for open world games, bar none.

Media Molecule's platformer has been hyped since its debut at GDC a few years back, but amazingly, it lived up to and perhaps even surpassed those expectations with flying colors. The included content put together by MM is nothing short of brilliant, featuring some of the most original level and art design we've ever seen. But when you step over to the creator and have a go at making your own content, that's where things really start to blossom. LittleBigPlanet is an instant classic and a title that no gamer should pass up.

Insomniac delivered the first Resistance as the PlayStation 3's uncontested best launch title, and its follow-up was pretty much everything we hoped it would be. The single-player portion is strong, pushing Nathan Hale's tale to the edge. But the online component was even better, featuring cooperative play for up to eight players and competitive online play for an unheard of (on consoles) 60 players. The fact that Insomniac was able to contain the chaos and make everything work and run like butter is an achievement in and of itself.

No one knows how to make open world RPGs like Bethesda. When we first heard that the studio had picked up the Fallout license and began work on the third installment, dreams of bliss began popping into our heads. Fortunately, that's exactly what it delivered. The Wasteland was so meticulously crafted and packed with content that gamers are still uncovering new stuff to this day. Scavenging for ammo and cigarette cartons has never been more fun or engaging, which says a lot. We're still itching to get back to the Wasteland at this very moment.

2K Games' romp through Rapture may have hit the Xbox 360 and PC last year, but the company saved the best version for last. Featuring the new Survival mode and the option to download Challenge Rooms, which put very interesting twists on your abilities from the main game, there are now two more reasons to journey back to Rapture. And if you never played it the first time around, well, now here's your chance to play one of the best titles in recent years. Oh, and with the sequel on its way, you have even more reason to get soaked.

One of the most beloved games from the NES made its return this year in a big way. Acting as something of a refresher for the proper 3D follow-up coming next year, Bionic Commando Rearmed re-imagines the original in a fresh way while keeping its original charm fully intact. The art direction is spot-on, making perfect use of the same designs and color pallets from the original, and the new uses of your bionic arm, like being able to pick up and throw barrels, is put to fantastic use. This is easily one of the best downloadable titles released on any system to date and is a must-have in your collection.

Ubisoft's latest take on the PoP series goes back to its roots, hinted at by its subtitle-less name. Focusing almost entirely on platforming, with battles broken out into their own focused sections, the game is a wall-runner's dream. The art direction is simply stellar, as is the level design. Its casual-friendly way of handling death (in that there really isn't any) was an interesting change to the formula, but it helps you get right back to the good stuff - running up a wall, jumping across a gap to hang from a ledge, scurrying around a corner and leaping to grab a jutting bar. Gymnasts welcome.

We didn't want to play yet another World War II game, but then we got our hands on Call of Duty: World at War and were sucked back into the mess yet again. While much of the experience is very reminiscent of Call of Duty 4, that game was so good that playing through a different take on its formula is perfectly A-OK by us. With soldiers who are hell-bent on stabbing you in the neck, dogs that want to eat your jugular for breakfast and none other than Jack Bauer himself lending vocals to the mix, what's not to love?

SEGA's action-RPG/strategy mix is nothing short of refreshing. As soon as you pop in the disc, you'll be overjoyed with its stellar presentation and art style. But then once you hit the battlefield, you'll be hooked. Featuring fantastic strategy elements that blend with realtime mechanics, plus a plethora of RPG bits and pieces to keep pretty much any gamer hooked, you'll find a lot to love here. It may not be the highest-profile game on our list, but it's easily one of the best, and you'd be doing yourself a disservice if you didn't give it a proper (and strategic) shot.